Legio Vulturum
The Legio Vulturum (Gore Crows), was originally a Legio Titanicus that was sworn to serve the Forge World of Xana II. But eventually it became a Traitor Titan Legion of the Dark Mechanicus that repudiated its oaths to the Emperor of Mankind and followed Warmaster Horus into the service of the Ruinous Powers during the Horus Heresy. There is very little information in Imperial records about this Titan Legion's founding, but it is suspected of having been founded before the Age of the Imperium during the Age of Strife. At the end of the Heresy, during the Great Scouring, the Legio Vulturum was driven towards the Eye of Terror along with the rest of the Forces of Chaos. it remains trapped in servitude to the Chaos Gods, fighting the Long War against the Corpse Emperor that began ten millennia before. Legion History The origin of this Titan Legion harkens back to the early years of the Great Crusade. They originally served their cyborg lords of the powerful and independent Forge World of Xana II, which was long rumoured to be a forbidden domain which held within it the wonders and terrors of the Dark Age of Technology. This realm of the machine lay on the very edge of the western galactic reach. The tides of war and conquest would mean that the truth of Xana would remain uncovered until 843.M30 when a damaged galleass belonging to the Rogue Trader Casilida DeAniasie, having been flung far off-course after engaging in battle with Fra'al Corsairs, intercepted a trio of hulking automata warships at the edge of the intergalactic void, and inadvertently discovered the sovereign forge domain of Xana. Negotiations between the Imperium and Xana soon followed upon the Rogue Trader's return, but despite the cordial tone under which they had been instigated, they were quickly beset by suspicions by many within the Imperium's camp. Suspicions were not allayed by the Xanites' vagueness as regarding their world's origins and activities over the years, blaming the tribulations of long distant wars and the privations of past solar storms of blistering power for their missing and incoherent records as to their own history, while their vast military capacity they explained as reaction to prior attacks by alien invaders. A deal was reached between the ambassadors of Terra and the Lords of Xana, a proposal which came with the undertone of drastic action by the Imperium should its generous offers be rejected. Under this treaty of Imperial Compliance, Xana would maintain its sovereignty as part of the greater Imperium, and notionally while falling under the rule of distant Mars, its affairs and secrets would largely remain its own so long as it obeyed the restrictions on technological development imposed on Mars itself by the Emperor. Xana in return, and its forges and fanes, would now arm the Great Crusade and serve as a port for its voidships, and the Imperium in turn would feed Xana with raw materials and fresh blood and schematics to enable this. The accord was sealed and ratified by the Lords of Xana and the Emperor's own writ, despite the misgivings of many and the barely concealed displeasure of the Fabricator-General. In spite of the suspicions of many, the accord and the uneasy alliance bore fruit; the Titans of Xana, divided now into two Legions, the Legio Vulturum (known as the "Gore Crows") and the Legio Kydianos (known as the "Death Cry"), left their world along with the Xanan void warship armada and scores of Cybernetica cohorts, and hurled themselves without relent into the fires of the Rangdan campaign, known in Imperial history as the Rangdan Xenocides, was the greatest existential threat of the Imperium's first century of existence and a conflict whose casualties and losses would be unmatched in scope until the wars of Horus Heresy itself were fought. Xana's reinforcement of the front line was direly needed, and the Xanite forces broke their greater strength in countless battles on the edge of the Halo Stars, becoming shattered remnants of their former selves, but earned much honour in doing so for their Forge World. More importantly, weapons and arms poured forth from Xana and were shipped directly to the Segmentum-wide battle lines of the war, providing much needed respite and fresh strength to beleaguered Imperial forces, helping to slowly turn the tide of defeat into first stalemate and eventually victory. It was a victory Xana was in no small part bled dry to achieve. Though now diminished, Xana entered the Great Crusade's later era as still a powerful and sovereign Forge World, its independence from the direct authority of Mars and Terra, maintained not simply by the absolute adherence to the treaty under which it had entered the Imperium, but also its great distance from the Segmentum Solar and easy scrutiny. So it was that when the Warmaster Horus rose to power after Ullanor, Xana remained a distant and almost legendary force in an Impetium grown much to encompass a galaxy on whose silent and unpopulated edge it dwelled alone, a Forge World whose magos kept no council but their own, its paradox unsolved. After his corruption by Chaos upon Davin's moon, the Warmaster sent ambassadors to Xana, to entreat them to join his cause. Much as with Sarum and Cyclothrathe, other "renegade" Forge Worlds distrustful of Mars that the Warmaster had enticed into his cause with the lure of petty empire building and freedom of experimentation, he offered a new treaty of alliance whose accords Xana's ruling Vodian Consistory would find more to their liking than the old. By this new pact Xana would serve his "new Imperium" just as it had the old, but where they had been used and bled dry callously in the past by a master who cared nothing for their power or prosperity, under Horus they would flourish and be rewarded. Thus, the Legio Vulturum, along with their Xanite Mechanicum overlords, joined the Warmaster's cause against the wider Imperium. When the Warmaster's Heresy eventually failed during the final epic conclusion during the Siege of Terra, the Legio Vulturum, along with the entirety of the damned Hell-Forge of Xana, fled to the relative safety of the hellish realms of the Eye of Terror, where the Legio Vulturum presumably still protects the hellish industries of their Chaos-corrupted masters. Notable Campaigns *'Rangdan Xenocides (Late 800s.M30)' - Following their inclusion into the nascent Imperium of Man, the Xanite forces, including the Legio Vulturum, hurled themselves and broke their greater strength in countless battles against the vile xenos on the edge of the Halo Stars near the northern borders of the Imperium, becoming shattered remnants of their former selves, but earned much honour in doing so for their Forge World. More importantly, weapons and arms poured forth from Xana II and were shipped directly to the Segmentum-wide battle lines of the war, providing much needed respite and fresh strength to beleaguered Imperial forces, helping to slowly turn the tide of defeat into first stalemate and eventually victory. It was a victory Xana was in no small part bled dry to achieve. *'The Ruin of Maerdan (008.M31)' - This battle of the Horus Heresy saw the Imperial colony world of Maerdan on the edge of the Segmentum Solar become savagely contested between Loyalist and Traitor forces. Loyalist Titans of the Legio Gryphonicus, Legio Metalica, and Legio Destructor clashed with the Traitors of the Legio Mortis, Legio Argentum, and Legio Vulturum. One of the largest Titan battles of the early Heresy era, more than 200 god-engines clashed as Maerdan was ultimately reduced to ruin. Ultimately heavy losses were incurred by both sides and neither combatant was able to claim true victory. *'Battle of Beta-Garmon, "The Titandeath" (006-013.M31)' - The Legio Vulturum took part in the long and savage Beta-Garmon campaign, which included hundreds of war zones across dozens of worlds. Even before the greater armies of the Warmaster Horus reached the star cluster, the battle lines had long since been drawn, and fighting had been going on for many Terran years. It was a cauldron of battle that would consume millions of lives before its end and see the demise of entire Titan Legions, earning this campaign the dire moniker of the "Titandeath." The Beta-Garmon Cluster, also known as the gateway to the throneworld of Terra, was the last hurdle that the Warmaster Horus' forces had to overcome before they reached the Imperium's capital world. Heavily fortified by the Loyalists, Beta-Garmon would become one of the greatest and bloodiest battles of the Horus Heresy, as well as one of the longest-lasting. During the Battle of Beta-Garmon, the Legio Vulturum was supported by the Knights of House Vyridion. Notable Titans None listed in current Imperial records. Notable Personnel None listed in current Imperial records. Legion Appearance Legion Colours The colours of the Legio Vulturum are silver, white, and black. Legion Badge The badge of the Legio Vulturum is not listed in current Imperial records. Sources *''Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Rulebook'' (Specialty Game), pg. 15 *''Adeptus Titanicus - The Horus Heresy: Titandeath'' (Specialty Game), pg. 95 *''Epic 40,000 Magazine'' 5 *''The Horus Heresy - Book Six: Retribution'' (Forge World Series) by Alan Bligh, pg. 61 ES:Legio Vulturum Category:L Category:Chaos Category:Chaos Walkers Category:Dark Mechanicus Category:Traitor Titan Legions Category:Walkers